This morning, one of our horses was put down, after she went down due to the herpes virus. It is a very, very sad day. Mike Reavis had been advised to take one of his symptomatic horses to the quarantine barn as it was positive for the virus as well. That was this morning. So far, we have not received a call from the state vet, advising us that our entire barn of "potentially infected" horses were not allowed to train tomorrow morning. Rest assured, we don't need a vet to tell us that taking even ONE of our horses out of the barn tomorrow could jeopardize the well being of the entire barn area. We will not be training outside of the barn until WE are satisfied that our horses cannot infect another. We had simply asked that the same courtesy had been afforded us, early on, yet it was not.Do the other horsemen want to stand in the stall next to us in the starting gates or the paddock ? I think not. Would we have appreciated being truthfully informed as to how much this virus has truly spread, yes. But we weren't.We can't speak for any other trainers stabled in our barn, but we will do our part to help end this terrible virus.

Yes formerly clocker terry, I did. To the head of the Dept. Of Agriculture, today, after our horse was put down. Funny that even HE has not heard that our horse had to be put down, nor that Reavis' horse transferred to the contaminated barn.But THANKS for the condolences...WAIT...you didn't offer any....

Running fool and Dano. Thank you so much. There really aren't words and when we work hands on with these beautiful horses every day, it really hits hard. But your offer of condolence shows the good, compassionate people that are surviving in this industry and for that, we are very thankful.

Yes formerly clocker terry, I did. To the head of the Dept. Of Agriculture, today, after our horse was put down. Funny that even HE has not heard that our horse had to be put down, nor that Reavis' horse transferred to the contaminated barn.But THANKS for the condolences...WAIT...you didn't offer any....

It struck me as odd that no new cases were reported as of yesterday, but today there was a horse so sick it had to be put down. So why - apparently- was your horse not reported sick before today, when you say you reported it? Something is just not right here.

Yes Terri, we are making it all up...NOT. this horse had had a low grade temperature on and off. She had showed absolutely no neurological symptoms until this morning. Upon trying to do the politically correct thing,we agreed, reluctantly to transfer her to the "symptomatic" barn. Yes, the same barn our fellow horse trainer transferred his horse to just prior. Incidentally...we were NEVER INFORMED that he had a symptomatic horse. However, being allowed to claim a horse from divitos barn, earlier in the meet ( right around the original outbreak timeframe) and bring it back to the barn we share...should have been a red flag. Maybe instead of questioning the victims of this clusterfuck...yes, I said clusterfuck...maybe you should question those in charge...who are trying very hard to keep this quiet.

Thank you Pam. It was horrible. They practically ordered us to remove this filly to the "contaminated" barn...which DOES exist, despite what some people are reading on the Internet. ( and we all know...if its on the Internet...it must be true)Even though it was questionable whether she would be able to Make the long trek to the quarantine barn, the state vet opted to do this. She collapsed in the middle of the road, had to be held down to prevent further injury to herself. It was truly a horrific event that we honestly feel could have been prevented and will more than likely happen again. We are so very grateful to those offering condolences.

Clocker Terry, speaking of striking as ODD...I found it VERY ODD that while walking and trying to maneuver this horse to the contaminated barn, neither our vet, or the state vet were wearing bio-suits. Our groom wasn't asked to wear one, nothing. We were walking a CONTAMINATED horse yet no one took precautions.Do you think that either our vet or the state vet went home, decontaminated before going to the next horse. No.Our groom was asked, by us to go home, Change clothes, shower and immediately wash his clothing, which he assured us, happened. We personally did the same.Unless you are going to be sympathetic to the situations us horsemen must endure, I suggest you keep our ODD feelings to yourself. Many people were traumatized today and a beautiful filly lost her life, violently and needlessly....that s the entire issue...

Yes Terri, we are making it all up...NOT. this horse had had a low grade temperature on and off. She had showed absolutely no neurological symptoms until this morning. Upon trying to do the politically correct thing,we agreed, reluctantly to transfer her to the "symptomatic" barn. Yes, the same barn our fellow horse trainer transferred his horse to just prior. Incidentally...we were NEVER INFORMED that he had a symptomatic horse. However, being allowed to claim a horse from divitos barn, earlier in the meet ( right around the original outbreak timeframe) and bring it back to the barn we share...should have been a red flag. Maybe instead of questioning the victims of this clusterfuck...yes, I said clusterfuck...maybe you should question those in charge...who are trying very hard to keep this quiet.

So, to summarize, you had a horse with a low grade temperature on and off during a herpes outbreak, but did NOT report it?

And no neurological symptoms until this morning, at which point you put her down?

Well, actually, the State of Illinois vets should care, because this is the Illinois horse population, and could ruin the Arlington and Fairmount meets as well.

I'm sure I must be misunderstanding Equiforce somehow, and would really appreciate it if we could back up a step and have some explanation of exactly what took place that ended up infecting this $200k horse that should not have taken place. Then maybe we'll be on common ground.

ACTUALLY, we kept logs and reported to the state vet. But thanks for bringing it up, so that I could make it more clear. Also, since its obviousy been years since you gained your degree in veterinary medicine, I would be happy to refer you to Rood and Riddle for a refresher seminar. During that seminar, they will remind you that oftentimes, non-symptomatic horses can become symptomatic in an extremely short period of time. This is not a story by the way. The names weren't changed to protect....ummm...anyone...this was an event that took place, this morning. That I had to report to the dept. of agriculture because it was discustingly obvious....no one else was going to report...you know...all in the interest of keeping everything quiet.You obviously have loyalties to your paycheck....We have loyalties to our horses and owners...Rest in Peace Ginger and Spice (yes, that was her name). We don't intend to let your dead be in vain.

I think my posts were quite clear. And ARLINGTON would have NEVER handled the situation in this manner. At Arlington we are stabled DIRECTLY across from the quarantine barn. For years we have watched horses ship in for stakes and that barn is handled like a quarantine should be handled. Do you think in some way we have made up a horrible story to attract attention. Anyone who knows us, knows specifically that we avoid the spotlight. This post was to inform, warn prepare fellow horsemen for the real possibilities that we were led to believe were no longer possibilities.

ACTUALLY, we kept logs and reported to the state vet. But thanks for bringing it up, so that I could make it more clear. Also, since its obviousy been years since you gained your degree in veterinary medicine, I would be happy to refer you to Rood and Riddle for a refresher seminar. During that seminar, they will remind you that oftentimes, non-symptomatic horses can become symptomatic in an extremely short period of time.

Thanks for educating me. I never had a horse with herpes. So, from yesterday to this morning?

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This is not a story by the way. The names weren't changed to protect....ummm...anyone...this was an event that took place, this morning. That I had to report to the dept. of agriculture because it was discustingly obvious....no one else was going to report...you know...all in the interest of keeping everything quiet.

Really? And your vet's name who wasn't going to report this herpes demise is ... ?

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You obviously have loyalties to your paycheck....

Obviously. Even though my paycheck has zero to do with the horse racing industry.

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We have loyalties to our horses and owners...Rest in Peace Ginger and Spice (yes, that was her name). We don't intend to let your dead be in vain.

Out of curiosity, had you previously vaccinated this horse against herpes?

Yes, every single horse was vaccinated...AND AGAIN if you had ANY KNOWLEDGE of ths virus...you would know that there is no known vaccine for the neurological strain of this virus...your ignorance grows.....lol...if you shut up now, you MIGHT not look like a complete fool.....

Equiforce....I'm so sorry for your loss of Ginger and Spice. It sounds likes a frightening and sad experience.

Thanks for letting people know what's happening, and for being so responsible in your care of your horses and in reporting to the State vet. You've raised some very interesting questions about procedures in effect at the track.

Having seen Arlington handle Quarantine FIRST HAND, year after year, for the million and for presumably healthy horses coming from Europe, they handle "healthy" horses 1000 times better than Hawthorne has handled a viral epidemic. Sickeningly enough, you almost sound hopeful that Arlington might have to face this. It won't hapen. Well, some REAL HORSEMEN must get up in the morning. Which does not include you...try maybe pulling your head out of your ass and maybe read a book, or research topics you wish to comment on when you have admittedly never encountered, never been involved in, and know virtually nothing about. Then when you choose to accuse or comment on a post here on an individual who has both encountered AND researched the situation....you might be more informed and APPEAR less idiotic.

Thank you Zan. It was our intention to inform the horsemen what is really happening with this virus. EVERYONE, with the exception of one individual has been so comforting and supportive of our terrible loss this morning. It's very nice seeing the love and compassion.